Cambridge man tied to gun that killed MIT police officer Sean Collier

Tuesday

Jul 22, 2014 at 6:51 PMJul 23, 2014 at 1:53 PM

It has been one of the lingering questions since the dramatic manhunt that gripped the area in the days after the Marathon bombings: Where did the suspects get the gun that authorities say they used to kill an MIT police officer?

By Denise LaVoieAssociated Press

It has been one of the lingering questions since the dramatic manhunt that gripped the area in the days after the Marathon bombings: Where did the suspects get the gun that authorities say they used to kill an MIT police officer?

Answers may come soon with the arrest Tuesday, July 22, of a Cambridge man that people with knowledge of the investigation say supplied his friend Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with the weapon.

Stephen Silva, 21, of Cambridge made an initial appearance in federal court on charges related to heroin trafficking and possession of a handgun with an obliterated serial number.

Silva's attorney, Jonathan Shapiro, said Tuesday evening that he had received the case only a few hours earlier.

"According to news reports, law-enforcement officials say it is the same weapon that was used ... in the MIT officer Sean Collier shooting. However, this has not been charged in the indictment," he said.

Shapiro said in a statement that he was in the process of meeting with his client and reviewing evidence in the case. He declined to comment further.

The 9 mm Ruger pistol described in the indictment is the same handgun that was used to kill MIT police officer Sean Collier during the manhunt for the bombing suspects, according to the two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. The grand jury indictment, which was filed July 15, does not mention Collier's slaying or any connection to Tsarnaev.

According to the indictment, Silva knowingly had possession of the gun, "which had the importer's and manufacturer's serial number removed, obliterated, and altered and had previously been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce."

The indictment also alleges that Silva conspired to distribute heroin this summer in the Boston area.

He said in court Tuesday that he graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in 2011, the same year as Tsarnaev. Silva was ordered to remain in custody. A bail hearing was scheduled for Aug. 6.